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The Unquiet Void
Poisoned Dreams

Middle Pillar Presents

Posted: Monday, March 27, 2006
By: Ilker Yucel
Editor

Dark ambient music has become something of an enigma as far as genre classification goes. From what this reviewer can tell, there are basically two types: 1) A form of pseudo-industrial music that emphasizes atmospheric soundscapes amid electronic experimentation, not unlike the music of Coil and Download; 2) An even more abstract arrangement of darker, even more evil sounds to create an effect similar to what one might perceive of as being trapped in the bowels of hell. Of the latter, The Unquiet Void certainly seems to fit the bill. As the dark ambient project of Jason Wallach, the music on his latest release, Poisoned Dreams, is the first in a planned trilogy of albums detailing the musician's exploration into the twisted realms of H.P. Lovecraft. Like Edgar Allen Poe, Lovecraft was an American writer whose works are best known for their macabre flights of fantasy. Even though he died in poverty, Lovecraft's work has laid the groundwork for much of what we consider to be modern horror, inspiring the likes of Anne Rice, John Carpenter, and especially Clive Barker. Even those unfamiliar with Lovecraft have experienced his works in some form or another. Hellraiser is a good example, or even the videogame Quake, which features the demon Shub-Niggurath. With Poisoned Dreams, Wallach creates an audio collage of Lovecraftian proportions.

Drawing upon the stories of "Dagon," "Call of Cthulhu," and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," Poisoned Dreams draws the listener into a darkened realm of shadowy soundscapes and apocalyptic grandeur. As the first album in a planned trilogy, this installment deals with events that lead up to the subjugation of the human species prior to the awakening of "The Outer Gods." What Lovecraft achieved in his writings, planting emotions and imagery into the reader's head and drawing people into these parallel worlds of his, Wallach achieves with his music in tribute to Lovecraft. Every track pulsates with stark atmospheres, wrought with shrieks of lament, be they electronic or vocal shrieks. Voices come into play, fading in and out of the mix at uneven intervals, going anywhere from the cries and moans heard on "Necronomicon" (titled after the book of evil magic and spell casting that is so prominent in Lovecraft's works), to the demonic Latin-esque chanting on "The Esoteric Order," and even the frightening choirs of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth." There is never any melody at work in this music; this is not intended to seduce or lull the listener into any false sense of musical safety, as this is the unfamiliar, beckoning the listener to tread upon pure grief and fear. There is rhythm to this music, but it is a foreboding rhythm characterized by deep pounding; like hearing the footsteps of a demon creeping up on you. These are not songs, but chapters, each one bringing the listener closer to the resolution of the first act of this malignant trilogy, the resurrection of Cthulhu from the underwater city of R'lyeh. It is only fitting that "R'lyeh Rerisen" ends the album with a howling cacophony.

Not unlike John Bergin's work as C₁₇H₁₉NO₃ or Trust Obey, which draws upon Lovecraft as well as A.A. Attanasio, The Unquiet Void's music plays the role of a torturous soundtrack. While literary soundtracks are still a rare commodity, they perform a dual function in both providing an audio accompaniment to the visuals produced by the mind while reading, as well as producing a few visuals of its own. Poisoned Dreams is an audio personification of H.P. Lovecraft's world, recreating and redefining it in the medium of sound. As such, it is also perhaps the most focused of any album put out by The Unquiet Void. While past releases have created their own stories, which could sometimes prove uneven, this album is based on an affirmed classic, giving it strength to stand the test of time. This is not music in the strict sense of composing melodies and harmonies with a rhythm to enrapture people. However, this is not mere noise either. This is the sound of hell, the churning stomach that exists within every nightmare, the foul stench that follows when you've regurgitated your lunch. This is the musical equivalent of the insane mind. Anybody who is a fan of Lovecraft's literature will find a perverse glee in hearing the sound of this author's world realized in perhaps the truest form ever produced, while those unfamiliar will perhaps find grief in embracing a sound akin to Dante's "The Inferno." In the world of dark ambient music, Jason Wallach is an unfounded but delightfully dark hero as The Unquiet Void. If you dare to listen to Poisoned Dreams, know that it is not for everybody; even those with a taste for this sort of music may find it disquieting. It is best played with the lights out, alone in the corner, and, no, it would not be an overstatement to say that it will most likely leave you frightened and writhing on the floor.